it was not, china paid to buy plastic and recycle it. Then, oddly enough, it sold it back to the west. The current situation is that they stopped doing that b

it was not, china paid to buy plastic and recycle it. Then, oddly enough, it sold it back to the west. The current situation is that they stopped doing that because it's not economic anymore (and some "green backlash"). If they were just being payed to buy plastic and dump it in the rivers there would be no problem in continuing to do that.